


warmth against the cold

by ariesaa



Category: MXM (Band), Produce 101 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:51:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariesaa/pseuds/ariesaa
Summary: A prince whose whole life was spent inside the cold castle walls finds warmth in the boy who had everything taken away from him. A tale of two boys who were once empty, slowly finding the missing parts of their hearts in each other.





	1. more than we both know

**Author's Note:**

> this royalty au was inspired by dream con donghyun because he looked so ethereal and it reminded me so much of a prince!! idk man, it's a real stretch but pleaaase give it a chance hehe <3

“Tell me, Your Highness, why the infamous prince of all mischief and problematic one-night stands is climbing up your bedroom window at this ungodly hour?" Woojin asked. They were looking from the windows of the palace corridors, watching Im Youngmin struggle to keep his footing on the jutted rocks of the palace’s façade.

  
“It’s the easiest to climb, it’s also one of the only entry ways he hasn’t been caught sneaking up in…yet.” Donghyun remembers the first time Youngmin climbed up his window.

_It was 3:00 am and Donghyun almost swung a sword at the other prince’s throat thinking it was an assassination ploy. He stood up so quickly, it felt like all of his blood went up to his head. Years of practicing swordplay surfaced to his memory making his body move quicker than his brain could think. He had Youngmin’s throat at the end of his sword in a matter of seconds, barely grazing the other prince’s neck._

_“Okay, Hyun. I know I’ve been a pretty shitty best friend but is it really worth slitting my throat for?” Youngmin said, his eyes wide at the sword poised in front of him._

_“Youngmin?! What the hell are you doing here? Have you ever heard of stairs? Is it so hard for you to use the front gate?! Jesus Christ, Im Youngmin! My heart is in my fucking throat right now!”_

_“Okay, well actually right now, your sword is on mine. Maybe you can put it down first?” Donghyun let the sword clatter to the ground, muttering apologies under his breath. Youngmin ruffled Donghyun’s already disheveled hair, tucking the startled prince’s head under his chin._

_“I never saw a half-asleep guy swing a sword so fast. Did I scare you that much, Donghyunnie?” He said his voice slightly muffled by Donghyun’s hair._

_“You’re so incredibly stupid, sneaking up like that. I could’ve killed you, you know?”_

_“Well, you didn’t.” Youngmin said, smirking as he wiped blood from the small graze on his neck with his sleeve._

_“Probably should have though.” Donghyun sneered, letting the other prince enter his room anyway._

 

“You usually don’t tolerate this kind of stuff, what’s keeping you from telling the King about this?” Woojin said, startling Donghyun from his memory. It really was weird of Donghyun to keep his mouth shut, he honestly didn’t know why he still does either.  
  
“I mean, it’s Youngmin. It’s not like no one knows he sneaks in and out of the palace grounds in the middle of the night.”  
  
Woojin threw him a side eyed glance, unconvinced that this was the only thing keeping him from talking. “You know, for a couple of princes, sometimes I feel like I know a lot more than you guys do,” He says.  
  
“Why don’t _you_ tell on him then? You’re the Captain of the Royal Guards, aren’t you?” Donghyun threw back at him.

“It’s _your_ room, _Prince_ Donghyun,” Woojin says.  
  
“Fair point. Fine, if I give you the permission to tell on him, would you?” Donghyun raises his eyebrows at the young captain.  
  
“Do you want me to?”  
  
Donghyun thinks about his question, what does he want anyway? He’s been stuck inside the palace doing whatever royalty are supposed to do for so long. Maybe he’s letting Youngmin do this because he knew how suffocating the castle walls could get, maybe he secretly wanted Youngmin to sneak him out one of these nights. Of course, it wasn’t because it was Youngmin. He’d probably tolerate anyone in this situation, right?  
  
“Stop looking so royally constipated. I won’t tell on Prince Youngmin, he’s a pretty good guy despite his image,” Woojin says as Youngmin almost loses his footing, letting out a series of curses as he held on to the window sill. There was a twig sticking up his hair and a plastic bag was swinging from his belt.

“Sure he is,” Donghyun says wincing at the situation the other prince has put himself in. Woojin laughed at his attempt to scrabble up a few more steps upward.

“Well, you better go back to your room to let that stupid prince, I mean, _His Highness_ , in then,” Woojin snickered. Donghyun would be worried about the other prince falling, only he knew Youngmin well enough to know that he would never fall. It probably isn’t even in his vocabulary, hence the problematic one-night stands.

“Take good care of him, Prince Donghyun,” Woojin said before they went on their separate ways. He still had to check on the royal guards in their respective posts, and Donghyun did have to open the balcony door for Youngmin if he had any plans of letting him sleep inside the castle. They said their good nights and Donghyun hurried back to his room. The corridors were dark, but he knew the whole place like the back of his hand. Even with the size of the palace, he could probably find his way with his eyes closed. God, he really needed to go out more often.

 

Donghyun heard a loud thud as he opened the door to his room. He found Youngmin sprawled on the balcony, panting from the climb with his hair messy from the harsh wind outside. Despite this, he still managed to flash a bright smile towards the prince.

“Good Evening, Kim Donghyun. I’m here to deliver leftover chicken wings and a piece of twig,” He says sitting up as he untied a plastic bag tied on one of his belt loops and held it up for the prince to see.

“I don’t remember ordering a dumbass prince along with it though,” Donghyun teases as he plucks the twig that got stuck in his messy blonde hair. It was actually kind of cute.

“Sorry, it comes with the package,” Youngmin smirks. “Let me in?” He says looking up at him with the kind of smile Donghyun never knew how to say no to and just like that, he’s opening the glass door of his balcony to let the other prince in.

 

Maybe Woojin did know a lot more than Donghyun did.


	2. in cinders and ashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk why i started a royalty au now i have to educate myself on how royalty actually works?? hope ya'll like this chapter <333
> 
> i miiight update this fic twice every weekend :) i spent a whole hour staring at the wall yesterday tryna figure out where i want this to go and i THINK i know what i'm doing?? 
> 
>  
> 
> talk to me in the comments and on twitter i'm @_dongpacamin!! or hmu on my cc @ariesaa <33

“One of these days you really are going to get caught, you know?” Donghyun said as he watched the other prince get comfortable in his bed. He could never shut up about how big and soft it was compared to his.

“You won’t let that happen though,” Youngmin says. Donghyun wanted to wipe the smug look on his face, but he knew this was true.  “Besides, I’m not the real deal anyway. They’re only keeping me here out of respect for my father. You’re the real prince here, _your highness_.”

Youngmin was the sole survivor of the small village under Donghyun’s father’s jurisdiction. Youngmin was only 5 years old when the tragedy happened, the leader of the village, Youngmin’s father, had a good relationship with the King. More than being partners, they were good friends. He instructed Youngmin to go straight to the palace if things ever went wrong. The King took a liking to Youngmin, and he didn’t want anyone to treat him any differently, not like a servant but like a prince as well. But of course, he didn’t go as far as adopting him, which is why he was known for being the fake prince of the Royal family. The rumors didn’t stop there, and his mischievous personality didn’t help him either.

 

“So where did you go tonight?” Donghyun asked as he sat himself at the edge of the bed. Youngmin shifted a little, his face turning stern.

“Nowhere in particular,” Youngmin said. He looked almost sad and Donghyun took this a sign not to prod further.

“You know if you really think it’s nothing to them if you wander about in the middle of the night you should just enter through the front gates. That climb will probably the be the death of you,” Donghyun teased instead.

Youngmin smiled at this. “Pfft. You think I have a hard time climbing up your room? I could probably do it with my eyes closed.”

“Really? You looked pretty out of breath just a while ago. We had a good view from the corridor windows,” Donghyun said.

“You guys saw me and didn’t even bother to help me up?” Youngmin gasped, pretending to be offended.

“I’d hate to hurt your pride, Im Youngmin. But really, you’re going to give Daehwi a heart attack if he ever sees you almost falling 10 feet from the ground.” Daehwi is one of the prince's royal aides. Although he didn't have much responsibility over the other prince, he cared about him just as much as he cared for Donghyun. 

“I’d climb up 10 more feet if it meant seeing _The_ Royal Prince Kim Donghyun,” Youngmin said teasingly.

Donghyun rolled his eyes at the other prince. “Shut up, I’m not one of your girlfriends. And don’t get too comfortable, I’m not carrying you to your room.”

“Can’t I just sleep here? I’m too tired to get up,” Youngmin whined.

“Sure, you can. The floor’s pretty spacious,” Donghyun said pushing him up from the bed as he lied down.

“Yeah and so is your bed! We could probably even fit 3 more people with the size of this,” Youngmin said refusing to get up, his eyes already closed. Donghyun looked at the other prince, noticing how he looked paler than usual. The skin around his eyes was a bit red as if he just rubbed at it and the bags under his eyes were deeper.

 

“Hey, Youngmin.” Donghyun said quietly.

“Hmm?” Youngmin hummed back, keeping his eyes shut.

“When you said nowhere, did you mean you went back to that place?”

The room was so silent, he was almost certain Youngmin wouldn’t bother to answer him. His back faced to him. 

“If I say yes, would you let me stay?” Youngmin asked suddenly, turning his body towards the prince so that they were facing each other. They were so close, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. It never did with the two of them. The prince didn’t even have to answer, they both knew he would let the other prince stay no matter what. Instead, he stood up to get a more comfortable set of clothes to sleep in.

“Where are you going?” Youngmin asked, sitting up following Donghyun with his eyes. 

“At least change your clothes, you smell like a walking bar.” They both knew this wasn’t true. In fact, he smelled a lot like the first time he arrived at the castle. His hands covered in blood and ash. Youngmin never expressed sadness that much, but he didn’t need to say anything for Donghyun to figure out. Youngmin hated the smell of smoke, how it sticks to your clothes even hours after. He threw the clothes at Youngmin before setting back down on his side of the bed.

“Hurry up and change. I know you haven’t been getting much sleep.” Youngmin looked back at the prince, his eyes already shut. He didn’t know how Donghyun did it, he always seemed to look right through him. He remembered having nightmares when he was younger, running up to the closest room he could go to.

 

_He barged in so quickly, his eyes red from crying, startling the young prince awake._

_“Bad dream?” Donghyun asked. His eyes half closed, and his hair sticking up in different directions. Youngmin only nodded, scrabbling up the young prince’s bed. Youngmin would always blame it on the comfort of the other prince’s bed, but everyone knew how lonely it must’ve been for him to suddenly sleep alone in a castle bigger than any home their village once had._

_He’d fall asleep right away beside the young prince, the warm comfort of Donghyun’s bed reminding him he wasn’t alone. The servants thought it was just cute, but it meant a lot to Youngmin then. To have someone tuck him in, even if it was a boy who was younger than him, a prince that was nowhere close to his own family._

 

When Youngmin lied back down, already dressed in one of Donghyun’s fancy sleepwear, Donghyun was fast asleep, his breathing slow and rhythmic. Youngmin adjusted the blanket over the prince, careful not to wake him up.

 

“Good night, Donghyunnie,” Youngmin whispered before he tucked himself in as well, finally falling asleep after nights spent turning around in his own bed. Memories of a burning village ingrained in his mind slowly melting away, replaced by the warmth of the prince sleeping beside him.


	3. the morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was supposed to be one chapter but i thought it might be too boring and..well, long. sooo i split it into two chaps hehe i hope ya'll enjoy!!!!

 Donghyun woke up from the loud knocks coming from his bedroom door.

He groaned, trying to cover his head with a pillow to block the noise, but it was no use. Whoever was knocking was determined to wake him up and he wasn’t much of a deep sleeper either. Even the smallest rustle could wake him up if he needed to. He slowly opened his eyes. The curtains of the glass door of the balcony was pushed aside, making the sunlight seep into his room. He shielded his eyes and turned around to be greeted by the sleeping form of Im Youngmin. The other prince was still asleep, the sunlight hitting his blonde hair, making it look almost golden. Donghyun fought the urge to run his hands through it.

Another series of knocks urged him to stand up, followed by a muffled voice probably calling for him to wake up from his slumber. If he didn’t open the door yet they would have to force it open, which risked Youngmin to be caught red-handed. Donghyun quickly stood up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he padded towards his bedroom door.

Donghyun opened the door slightly, revealing an angry looking Daehwi holding what looked like the end of a broken broomstick.

“Have you no sense of time, Prince Donghyun? I was just about to call Woojin to force your bedroom door open.”

“I’m sorry, Daewhi,” Donghyun muttered groggily. “I..uh had trouble sleeping last night. Why are you holding a broken broomstick?”

“I was using it to knock on your door, I didn’t want to hurt my precious knuckles.” Daehwi says matter-of-factly. “It’s a good thing you don’t have anything special scheduled today. Although the King  _is_ summoning you, says he has to talk to you about some stuff.”

Donghyun clenches his jaw, the King rarely summons him and every time he does it’s never really a pleasant talk.

“Anyway, have you seen Prince Youngmin?”

“Is the King summoning for him too?” Donghyun asks, a little concerned.

“No, but the servants told me he wasn’t in his room this morning. I’m just worried.” Daehwi’s face was etched with real concern. Being Donghyun’s aide has made him develop a really close relationship with the other prince as well.

“Don’t worry. He’s safe.” Safe wasn’t a word that they took lightly. Being part of the royal family comes with a lot of danger, and Daehwi knew the prince would never say this without assurance.

“Alright. I trust you,” Daehwi said with a smile. “Now step aside and let the cleaners in.” Only then did Donghyun notice the two lady cleaners standing behind Daehwi. They where holding on to a push cart filled with cleaning materials.

“Oh..uhm. Can’t it wait?” Donghyun asks warily, thinking of the other prince sleeping in his bed.

“Their scheduled to finish cleaning the east wing before noon. Unless you want them to get spited at.”

“But they just cleaned it the other day. They even changed the sheets,” Donghyun reasoned out. “Really great choice of sheets, by the way.”

“Apparently a few guests are coming in a few days and the King wants the palace in its best condition.” Daehwi steps aside to let the cleaners push the cart into the entrance. “Since when did  _you_  care about  _sheets,_ anyway?”

“I’ll clean it on my own, then,” Donghyun says, quickly holding the end of the cart down. “I’m sure it’s been really tiring for them, right?” He flashed a hopeful smile towards the two cleaners trying to charm them into leaving the room.

“Uh, good luck with that,” Daehwi snickers.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean! I’m a pretty clean person you know.” Donghyun crosses his arms, glaring at them.

“Even if you were, you have other things to tend to. Besides, if the King sees you stripping the sheets off your bed and changing your curtains he’d probably smack our heads.”

The servants pushed the cleaning cart further into the bedroom chamber. Donghyun was starting to panic, trying to think of an excuse as to why the other prince was sleeping in his bed. Should he pretend he didn’t know?  _Oh, look Prince Youngmin’s here I didn’t notice he was sleeping right beside me this whole time. Funny, huh?_  Donghyun was preparing to be scolded at when a loud noise startled them all. It sounded a lot like something made of glass shattering to pieces.

“What was that?” Daehwi says, turning his head towards the source of the noise.

“Well, whatever it is. It sounds like it needs to be cleaned up, don’t you think?” Donghyun says smiling at his luck.

Daehwi rolls his eyes at him and gestures at the cleaners to follow him. “They’ll be back to clean later, alright? Don’t lock your bedroom door.”

“Alright, Daehwi.” Donghyun smiles triumphantly, relieved to have time to wake the other prince up and tell him to leave before they come back. “I’ll meet you outside,” He says as he follows them out of the room, waving at the group as Daewhi shot suspicious looks at him.

 

Donghyun let out a breath as soon as they were out of sight. He went back in and closed the door behind him. He found Youngmin still in deep sleep on his bed, he was on his side of the bed now surrounded by the soft pillows. Donghyun felt almost envious, the other prince made sleeping look so inviting he kind of just wanted to snuggle up in the sheets as well. If anyone looked at him now, they’d never think he had any trouble sleeping. Donghyun sat on the edge of the bed, looking down on the other prince sleeping soundly beneath the sheets. He hated to disturb him, but he knew he couldn’t stay in much longer.

Just as he was about to shake the prince’s shoulder, he shifts slightly his eyes slowly opening. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust, as he stretches his arms and rubs his eyes. He runs a hand through his blonde mess of hair, looking around as if trying to figure out what room he just woke up in. His eyes lands on Donghyun, a small smile forming on his lips.

 

“Good morning, Hyun. What did I miss?”


	4. a fragile promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u guys r still keeping up w this au, i love ya'll sm <3

“Is it just me or does the morning sky look particularly good today?” Youngmin says, his eyes crinkling at the edges.

“Wow. What got _you_ in the mood?”

“A certain prince that goes by the name Kim Donghyun,” Youngmin says nonchalantly.

“You know, I expected you to hate me for waking you up. You’re really going off character here.”

Youngmin stretches his hands above his head, he sits up and looks towards the glass balcony door. “I haven’t slept that good in a while.” He looks back at Donghyun. “Thanks.”

Donghyun reaches out and ruffles Youngmin’s hair. “Aw, should I expect you to cry and waddle up in little pajamas in the middle of the night from now on,” He teases.

“Shut up. That was ages ago and I’m trying to be grateful here. Don’t ruin the moment,” Youngmin says, pouting.

Donghyun laughs a little at this. “Hey. You’re always welcome to sleep here if it helps.” Donghyun looks down at his hands, fiddling with the sheets. “And If you ever feel like talking about it…I’m here, okay?”

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one protecting you, though?” Youngmin says, his head tilting to the side.

Back then, the people were naturally opposed to the idea of letting Youngmin stay within the Royal family. When he was younger, they thought he was pitiful and that the Royal family could raise him just until he could survive on his own. But as he grew older, people started ridiculing the idea, demanding his banishment from the palace. Because of this, he had to make himself useful.

_“Are the rumors true? Are you really going to leave the castle for good?” The young prince asks._

_“If the King decides to, then I have no choice.” Youngmin replies. They were lying down on the grass of the palace garden that night, looking up at the stars as they talked endlessly about everything they were and weren’t._

_“I’m sure he’d let you stay! I mean, he took you in all these years what can possibly change his mind about you?” Donghyun exclaims, turning his head to look at the other prince._

_“Donghyun-ah. I know you care about me a lot, but don’t you hear what the people are saying? They’re saying the King’s incompetent because he let a commoner like me stay in the palace.”_

_“But -,”_

_“He’s your father, Hyun.” Youngmin interrupts, looking Donghyun in the eye, his tone serious. It was during these times when Donghyun felt how mature Youngmin actually was._

_“But what am I supposed to do without you.” Donghyun says, looking down to avoid the other prince’s eyes._

_“You’re a Prince, Hyun. You’re gonna have a lot of things to do that don’t involve me.” Youngmin says, sitting up, his hands supporting him at the back. “Besides, you do really well when I’m not around the castle.”_

_“That’s because I know you’re coming back. If you go now, you’re gone for good.”_

_“Fine. If you want me to stay so badly, what should we do then?” Youngmin says, looking down at the prince._

_“Me? Why am I the only one who wants you to stay?” Donghyun says as he sat up to meet Youngmin’s gaze. “Don’t you like it here?”_

_“Of course, I do!” Youngmin exclaims. “I don’t want to leave you either.” He looked offended, as if Donghyun said something that hurt him._

_“I mean, we practically grew up together at this point. How can you assume that I’m happy to throw that all away?” Youngmin sighs, his head bowed down trying to hide his disappointment._

_“I’m sorry. I’m just upset.” Donghyun says, clenching his fists. “I feel so powerless, I can’t even keep you by my side.”_

_Youngmin suddenly looks up. “You’re powerless.”_

_“Yeah, I just said that. Don’t rub it in.” Donghyun says, snarkily._

_“No. I mean you’re powerless and weak, so you need to depend on someone to save you.”_

_“Wow, is it Pick On Donghyun’s Insecurities Day already? I get it, okay.”_

_“No listen to me. If you’re so powerless, then what do you need?” Youngmin says suddenly enthusiastic._

_“I don’t know? A fucking spider bite to get superpowers?”_

_“Donghyun, I’m serious here! Work with me.” Youngmin says, shaking the young prince’s shoulders._

_“Okay, fine. If I’m powerless, I’d probably need some kind of protection or shield.”_

_“And you, Prince Kim Donghyun, just got yourself one.” Youngmin says, standing up._

_Donghyun only looks up at him quizzically, still confused as to what the other prince is talking about._

_“Starting today, I, Im Youngmin, pledge my loyalty to you, Prince Kim Donghyun. To serve and protect you for the rest of my life, for as long as you’d let me.” Youngmin declares, a wide grin on his face. The young prince was looking up at him then, the first person who ever committed to him. The smile on his face brighter than any star in the galaxy._

_Donghyun didn’t know what to respond then, making Youngmin feel shy all of the sudden._

_“Only if it’s okay with you, of course,” Youngmin says, sheepishly scratching the back of his head._

 

_“_ _It’s more than okay, Im Youngmin.”_

“That was just an excuse to keep you by my side.” Donghyun reasons out. “I mean, to keep you here in the castle. By my side, in the castle because I’m always in the castle. N-not just by my side that would be creepy.” Donghyun stutters as he realized how cheesy he sounded.

“Cute.” Youngmin muttered, shaking his head a little.

“Shut up, I just saved your ass, you know. Daehwi and a few cleaners almost caught you.”

“How _is_ Daehwi doing? I feel like I haven’t seen him in a while.” Youngmin says as he scoots over at the edge of the bed, letting his feet hang at the side.

“I’m doing pretty fine. I’m in desperate need of a vacation, but I’m okay. How about you, Prince Youngmin? Sleep well?” Daehwi says all of the sudden as he enters the room, making the two princes jump from shock. He looks at both princes, their eyes wide as if they saw a ghost.

“Are these chicken wings?” Daehwi asks, holding up the forgotten left-overs brought by Youngmin the previous night.

Youngmin turns his head towards Donghyun’s shocked face.

 

“What did you say about saving my ass again?”

 


	5. snakes and castles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to my angsty kitten im finally updating this!!!! <33

“It’s not what it looks like,” Donghyun quickly shouts. Youngmin on the other hand, barely reacts. He couldn’t care less if he were caught in bed with the Prince. It was too early, besides It’s not like they’d banish him from the castle anyway. He did find it amusing how the Prince’s innocent face turned red though.

Daehwi sighs, rolling his eyes at the Prince. “Really Donghyun?” Daehwi turns his head to the other prince, raising his eyebrows at him. Youngmin only shrugs. “You know what, I’m not even surprised,” Daehwi says, resting his case altogether.

“What’s that even supposed to mean?” Donghyun says defensively, his cheeks turning redder.

“Just hurry up and get dressed, I’ll meet you outside,” Daehwi says, picking up a towel and tossing it to the prince. “The King’s waiting.”

Donghyun catches it and scrambles off the bed, his head bowed down trying to hide his embarrassment. He enters the en suite bathroom quickly, just wanting to put some space between him and the other prince. There wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about but being caught by Daehwi suddenly made him feel like he was doing something he shouldn’t be doing. Well, it _is_ wrong for him to tolerate Youngmin’s rebellious acts but being caught in bed with him like that made it look too intimate. Meeting the King right after this would make him feel worse, but it would also reel him back to reality.

 

“And you,” Daehwi looks at the other prince still sat on the bed.

“Hey, Daehwi. How’s it going?” Youngmin says grinning widely at the Prince’s royal aide.

“You better get dressed too,” Daehwi dismisses, his voice quiet and serious. Youngmin takes the hint, his face darkening as he remembered why he was here after all.

“Is it that time of the month again?”

Daehwi only nods. Before, only Youngmin and the King knew what Youngmin was up to in the dead of night. But Daehwi was too nosy for anything to be kept from him. It was trouble at first, but Youngmin realized this would keep Donghyun safer. Daehwi might be nosy, but he’s also someone you could trust. Youngmin stands up from the bed, the casual relaxed side of him suddenly replaced by a menacing one. He placed his hand on Daehwi’s shoulder before he went out. “You know what to do,” He whispered. He didn’t have to say it but it’s what made him feel at peace.

“We protect him while you’re away. Yes, we get it.” Donghyun wasn’t completely defenseless. Hell, he could win in a swordfight with him any day. Under all the innocence of a Prince lies a boy who always had his life on the line. Practicing endlessly to fend himself from the dangers that came with being part of the Royal Family. They all knew this, but he always had his heart on his sleeve and it somehow gave everyone a sense of responsibility to protect him at all costs. Unlike the King, he was a good prince _.  A little bit too good sometimes._ “Go to the King at once, he’s been looking for you since morning,” Daehwi says, his tone a little worried.

“I just came from a fucking job and he wants me to report that quickly. He must miss me a lot these days.” Youngmin says smirking.

“Just go,” Daehwi says shaking his head at how Youngmin seems to take everything concerning his safety too lightly. If it were Donghyun’s though, it would be a different story. He pushes Youngmin out of the prince’s room before Donghyun catches on. “And be fast, I’m taking Donghyun to the King after he showers.”

Youngmin leaves the Prince’s room, preparing himself for what’s about to come as he walks the palace corridors. He wasn’t scared of the King, no.

He’s more scared of himself, and what he could do if he loses control.

 

 

“What is it this time?” Youngmin says as he carelessly sat down on the seat in front of the King’s desk. It looked like he was doing paper work. He looked so casual scribbling down with his quill as if he was the cleanest most responsible king out there. If anyone saw them now, Youngmin would only look like an ungrateful child treating their elders with disrespect. The King was playing the good father role a little too much, he couldn’t help but scoff at him.

“I heard you were visiting your village last night. You could’ve told me, you know. I would’ve let one of the guards accompany you,” The King says as he tidies up all of the papers. He had a fake smile plastered on his face fooling everyone in the room except for Youngmin.

“I’m not too sure you’d want that, _Your majesty_.” Youngmin says through gritted teeth, adding in the honorific just to mock him. The King dismisses the guards with a small smile and Youngmin watched them all file out. The King kept his image right up until all of the guards had left and there wasn’t a soul left to hear their transactions.

“So did you find anything?” The King asks, finally looking at the other prince in the eyes, the friendly aura he once had quickly dissipating. _This_ was the King Youngmin knew.

“I see your still embarrassed about me,” Youngmin says pertaining to the guards that left the chamber.

“You wouldn’t want them to take your place, do you?” The King says, tilting his head, his eyes turning into slits. It almost looked snake-like. He knew Youngmin hated this, how he could easily target anyone else in the castle if he messed up. He did worse jobs, but he’d do anything to protect the people around him. He lost too many people already, he wasn’t about to make the same mistake.

“I had you gather information about the shipments, right?” The King says, quick to converse about the only thing he needed from the other prince. Youngmin did go to the place where his village used to be last night. But that was just a detour from his real purpose that night. “Let me ask you again, _did you find anything_?”

“Are you actually doubting me, Your majesty. Really, I’m offended,” Youngmin says sitting up, his hands flying to his chest as he faked offense. He didn’t want the King seeing him affected. He’d deal with his anger some other way.

“I wouldn’t be keeping you in this castle if I did,” The king says, as he rests his back on the chair, his hands folded up on his lap. “Speak.” His posture relaxed, but his tone demanding.

“The 22nd of June. Before the sun rises,” Youngmin finally says. He hated giving the King what he wants but he had to be reminded of the things he wants to protect the most. “They will be shipping the supplies by then, so if you want to intercede,” He bends over and drops a piece of paper on the King’s table, the location of the shipping area written in blue ink, “It has to be then.”

The King stands up as if trying to impose his superiority. Youngmin didn’t seem to be fazed at all, he knew what the King was capable of but he never does his job half-assed. He was always confident with what he delivered and any sort of intimidation from the King would not unhinge him. “And he’s sure it would be there?” The King asks, as he eyes the piece of paper.

“In one of the crate boxes, yes,” Youngmin says nonchalantly, as if it didn’t cost him anything to get that piece of information, “He said it would be marked with red tape. Should be easy to find.” Youngmin sits back, his elbows resting on the arm rests of his chair, legs crossed as he followed the King with his eyes.

“Can you do it?” The king says as he circles around him.

“Can I do it?” Youngmin lets out a condescending laugh. “Of course I _can_. It's more of what I would get in return,” He says, his tone challenging.

“Isn’t letting you stay within the castle walls a privilege enough for you?” The King demands, as he grabs on to the arm rests of Youngmin’s chair, making him retreat a little.  “You dare challenge me?” The King sneers.

“You can kick me out anytime, I wouldn’t even flinch.” Youngmin says back, daring to push out of the cage the King has put him in.  He looked him straight in the eyes, matching his terrifying gaze.

“Oh, _you_ wouldn’t.” The King says, pointing a finger at Youngmin’s chest. Youngmin fiercely swats his hand away. The King lets out a sarcastic laugh as he straightened up. He knew he was slowly getting into his nerves. “Of course, you wouldn’t. I’m not so sure about your little prince, though.”

Youngmin clenches his jaw, his hands gripping the wooden arm rests so hard he thought he could break them in half. “I thought we talked about this.” He said, his voice rising, his temper suddenly hard to control. “My job here has nothing to do with Donghyun.”

“Don’t want him knowing about how you wash those dirty hands after every job?” The king asks as he sits back down in his chair, amused at the other Prince’s agitation.

Youngmin stands up, slamming his hands hard on the King’s table. “Keep him away from this.” Youngmin says, his gaze piercing the King who was greedy enough to put his own son in danger. He could end him right there and then, but it wouldn’t do him any good. His voice was shaking with anger, using up all of his energy to appear unbothered.

 

“Then stick to the agreement and do your job, _Prince Youngmin_.”  

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> it's my first time doing this buuuuuuuuut i hope i did okay??? i have a whole plot planned out for this so i hope u look forward to the next chapters :) i know royalty aus are kinda hard to get into and it isnt a really popular kind of au but i'm gonna try my best to make it interesting <33 i love youngdong w my whole heart and i just reaaally wanted to contribute 
> 
> talk to me in the comments uwu im real soft


End file.
